Rosalie Mendoza

Our beloved mother, Rosalie Cecilia Miller Mendoza, passed away on Monday, March 9, 2020 at the age of 92. She was born on July 27, 1927 in Houston, Texas to Thomas H. and Johanna A. Miller. After graduating from Incarnate Word Academy in 1944, Rosalie attended St. Joseph's School of Nursing and worked for the war effort polishing binocular lenses. While attending St. Joseph's she met her future husband, Abel Mendoza, who had served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. They were married for 65 years until his death in 2013.

Soon after marrying, Rosalie and Abel moved to New Orleans where three of their four children were born. Rosalie worked at Hotel Dieu Hospital until 1958 when the family moved to Baton Rouge. She then worked at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital for 28 years. She was one of the nurses who helped open the first coronary care unit in Baton Rouge at OLOL.

Rosalie and Abel enjoyed attending Tulane football games, Mardi Gras parades, and traveling with life-long friends Vilma and the late Warren Duffy, Sr., whom they met when they moved to New Orleans. After retiring from OLOL, she became active at her parish church, Most Blessed Sacrament, as a member of Catholic Daughters and the Altar Society. She spent many years cleaning and ironing the church linens and setting up the altar for Mass.

She is survived by her loving children, Kathleen Mendoza, Patricia (Glynn “Pete”) DeBate, Barbara (Kim) Schexnayder, Thomas Mendoza and special friend Chong Howard, and Shirley Digirolamo who was like a daughter to her. She was the proud grandmother of Christopher (Kristin) DeBate, Kyle Schilling, Adam (Mandi) DeBate and Lauren Schexnayder, and great-grandmother to Aubrey Torregrossa. She was preceded in death by her husband Abel, her parents, one brother and two sisters.

Our mother has left her family a legacy of courage, compassion and unconditional love. The grief felt by her family is surpassed only by the gifts of grace, beauty and joy she shared with all those in her life. She lives forever in our hearts and in the beauty of every day.

Visitation will be from 9:30 am to 11:30 am on Thursday, March 12, 2020 at Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church with Mass of Christian burial celebrated by Fr. Phil Spano, beginning at 11:30 am. Burial will be at Resthaven Gardens of Memory.

Pallbearers will be her three grandsons, and Warren Duffy, Jr., Duaine Duffy and Darren Duffy.